An octopus with what appear to be nine blazon was collected in an artisanal fishery in Puerto Angel , Oaxaca , back in 2012 . This species , Octopus hubbsorum , occurs throughout the tropic Pacific , and it ’s the principal mark of devilfish fisheries in Mexico . This 275 - gram devilfish was among a sample distribution of 115 octopuses collect by scuba loon , and based her oocytes ( which go on to become bollock ) , she was an immature female .
Upon closer inspection , María del Carmen Alejo - Plata and Omar Valencia Méndez ofUniversidad del Mardiscovered that the female person had an abnormally bifurcated 2nd branch – it had divided into two subdivision . Thefindingswere line inAmerican Malacological Bulletin .
The length of the arm before the stock split was 70 millimeters , and it was divided into two branches : The longer branch was 215 millimeters , the little one was 140 millimeters . The shorter branch also had a 5 - millimetre localized knob and a regenerated arm confidential information . to boot , there was an outstandingly well - produce web between the divisions – the same kind found uniting the base of normal arms .
Bifurcation ( or even polyfurcation ) of the branch are n’t all that uncommon in devilfish , especially in cases of injury . These have been reported since 1900 , and in one uttermost case , seven of the eight arms were branched multiple times , resulting in a aggregate of 90 terminal outgrowth .
However , the subdivision branching get a line here does n’t appear to be the resolution of an injury . Instead , the distich of researchers consider that these nine arm are the termination of aHoxgenes mutation . A big family of factor called homeobox gene genes direct the formation of many dead body structures – from limb to organs – during early embryonic development . Mutations in these cistron are responsible for several developmental disorder throughout the animal realm .
( h / tScience )
double : Alejo - Plata et al . , Amer . Malac . Bull . 2014
